Status:

Completed (Last update: 12.10.2017)

Period:

30 months (15 Jul 2013 г. – 15 Jan 2016 г.)

Budget:

CHF 81,991.00 Swiss funding

and CHF 9,110.00 Bulgarian co-financing

Geographical coverage:

Bulgaria

The project contributed to the capacity building and raising the motivation of the structures of civil society for the provision of better, more effective and accessible social services for at-risk children, living in the five Municipalities of the Region of Targovishte. For the realization of the project, we applied the family-centred approach for early intervention for children with disabilities, which is innovative for Bulgaria. Representatives of five NGOs from the municipalities undertook training and one-week internship at the Club of NGOs – Targovishte. The training was provided by Karin Dom Foundation – Varna. The trained NGOs subsequently applied the family-centered approach in the five municipalities in the Region of Targovishte.

The project completed the following specific goals:

Improving the quality and the scope of the social services, provided by the Club of NGOs and targeted at vulnarable groups and more specifically children with innate disabilities.

Capacity-building for the civil society structures in the five municipalities in the Region of Targovishte, providing social services for children.

Raising effectiveness of civil participation in the processes of designing and applying policies in the social sphere at municipal, regional and wider area level. Creating a mechanism for effective cooperation and joint initiatives among the civil society structures at the territory of the region;

Creating sustainability and prospect for the development of the Club of NGOs and its members through raisng the capacity of the organisation.

Executive Agency

Club of Non-Governmental Organizations /Club of NGOs/

Nevena Madzharova

Targovishte, “30 January” Str. No. 1

www.clubngo.org

A total of 51 children with disabilities were supported by a multi-disciplinary team of 7 members;

New 5 NGOs from the region built capacity for working in the field of social services for children;

We provided access to social services for children and families from rural areas and small townships. As a result of this, the number of children using social services in the community was raised by 20 per cent;

The number of NGO representatives in the community councils and committees at the municipal and regional administrations was raised;

We organized 18 discussions with over 500 participants;

A strategic plan for development of the lead organization was created for the next 5 years;

Three new NGOs were established, while the overall number of members to the Club of NGOs was raised with another 5 organizations. The activities of the NGO sector were widely popularized through brochures, films, and meetings;

The website of the Club of NGOs was updated, and the information on it is already available in English.

The project „Change through participation” contributed to the capacity building of civil society organizations for working in the social field! This is capacity which will enable them to both provide quality social services and seriously influence policy-making in the social field, including in relation to outsourcing of activities to NGOs.

“My participation in the parents support groups, which you organized, made me more relaxed and more confident in my everyday life. This immediately was reflected in the behavior of my child; as if my child felt my confidence and it also became more relaxed! In these groups, other parents and myself realized how important it was for our children that we were more active and focused on finding solutions to our problems. This gives me hope for the future that I have not had before!”

S.J. – mother of a child with disability.

An official partner for the project was not attracted, as 6 NGOs who were members of the club of NGOs were involved. As an informal partner, Karin Dom Foundation participated actively, whose inovative approach for early intervation we used in our project